NEW YORK — Israel’s Tuesday airstrike in Qatar, a close American ally and key mediator in ceasefire negotiations, was unprecedented, marking a major escalation in its campaign against Hamas – one with serious implications for US influence abroad, according to American foreign policy experts.
The bombing, which targeted senior Hamas leaders in Doha, was the first time Israel had struck a US ally in the Gulf in pursuit of its enemies. The move, observers warned, could have far broader repercussions than Israel’s previous attacks on Iran and Syria, potentially reshaping regional dynamics.
The Israeli military confirmed the strike, which it described as a “precise operation” aimed at Hamas figures it accuses of orchestrating violence inside Israel. At least six people were killed, including relatives of senior Hamas leaders, and residential complexes in Doha’s West Bay Lagoon district sustained heavy damage. Hamas officials said its top leadership survived.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged direct responsibility, declaring, “Israel initiated it, Israel conducted it, and Israel takes full responsibility.” IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir told soldiers that Hamas “will have no place to hide from us. Wherever we locate them, we strike them all, all the time.”
Shockwaves across the Gulf
The strike drew immediate condemnation from Qatar, which has hosted delicate negotiations over hostages and ceasefire arrangements since 2023. Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani called the assault “state terrorism” and a “blatant violation of all international laws and norms.”
Other Gulf states responded with fury. Saudi Arabia denounced “brutal Israeli aggression,” while the United Arab Emirates warned the attack posed “grave consequences” for regional security. Turkey accused Israel of adopting “terrorism as a state policy.”
International organizations weighed in as well. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the bombing as a “flagrant violation” of Qatar’s sovereignty.
Washington’s dilemma
The United States, which counts both Israel and Qatar among its closest partners, was placed in an awkward position. The White House criticized the decision as “unilateral” and “not advancing Israel or America’s goals,” but added that “eliminating Hamas… is a worthy goal.” The hedged response underscored the challenge Washington faces as Gulf allies question its reliability as a security guarantor.
Mohammed A. Salih, a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, said the strike “hurts the credibility of the United States with its allies in the Gulf region” and could drive them to adopt new security measures outside the US orbit. Qatar houses a major US military base and the small Arab country recently announced a $400 million plane to US president Donald Trump. None of those deterred Israel.
A Regional hegemon unchecked
Analysts see the Doha strike as part of a broader pattern of Israeli assertiveness. Colin Clarke, director of research at The Soufan Center, a New York-based security think tank, said Israel is acting “with impunity” in the absence of US restraint. “It sends a strong message,” he said. “Israel is a regional hegemon, the only nuclear weapon state [in the region], and by far the most powerful military.”
Clarke warned that such actions could even “upend the Abraham Accords,” the normalization of ties agreements between Israel and Muslim-majority states brokered under the Trump administration.
For many in the Gulf, the airstrike appears to have set a scary precedent, raising the possibility that other capitals could become battlefields in a widening conflict. Many on social media wondered whether Turkey, a NATO member where Hamas also has a political office, would be next.
“Today’s airstrikes in Doha are a game-changing move by Israel,” Salih said. “They set a precedent that Israel will not shy away from striking any target in pursuit of what it considers security.”